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I don't want to put down Charles Village but there are reasons not to live there. It's full of very dense student housing. Both a lot of apartments per building and a lot of people per apartment. That makes for an environment I don't find very fun anymore in my 30's. It also borders the 'hood. The spillover crime and racial tension is a real problem from what I've been told.

On the plus side, you get the benefit of a dense student area. It's very walkable with lots of cheap places to eat.

Federal Hill (technically Riverside) below Randall has a different character depending on how close you are to the park. East of Light St. is totally gentrified. But the western side is still in transition. I don't think you'll see crackheads but there are a lot of traditional blue-collar bawlmore folks and worse looking properties. Look on padmapper.com and you'll see that a lot of what shows up in that SW corner is different than the rest of Fed Hill. I don't think there is any reason to feel unsafe but some of the blocks are a bit unsavory. Also pay attention to how close you are to 95. The constant drone of highway noise on the southern most blocks would annoy me.

All of southern Fed Hill is within a 10 minute walk of the Shopper's Food Warehouse and Rite Aid. They aren't the best supermarket and drug store but they do the job. Everyone is excited about the Harris Teeter that is opening up soon. It might be further then you want to walk with bags of groceries but I'll be glad to not have a long drive to get to a suburban caliber supermarket. There's also the Cross St. Market which is a great place to pick up fresh items (the butcher and fish vendors are fantastic).

The Charm City Circulator is a great free bus service for getting downtown but it doesn't have late night hours. I bike everywhere, myself. It's really not a bike friendly city but you can do it as long as you are willing to fight with the cars.

biggyv, I don't think you are going to like the bar scene in Fed Hill. You sound like me and I don't like it. It's mostly a frat boy, sports bar scene. Mt. Vernon and Hampden are definitely more urban and hip. Fells/Canton is still a partying atmosphere but skews more to our age and not post-college. Fed Hill does have a lot of good restaurants.

If you want a lively bar scene with less douchebags then I think Canton is great. That's where I would live except I prefer the easier SW commuting from Fed Hill. Mt. Vernon is too dense for me. Hampden is self-consciously hipster and is also somewhat of an isolated pocket. If you go north of Fells, west of Patterson be careful. It's a block by block situation. I think Little Italy would be a great place to live but not many rentals show up there. I think people buy and stay. (I'm being highly critical. I'm sure you could find great places to live in any of these areas but these are my general impressions.)

I think you're right. I don't know if anyone's familiar with Pittsburgh, but I lived there for six years, and going through Fed Hill it reminded me of a neighborhood called Shadyside that I lived in while I was in grad school and wasn't a fan of. I spent most of my time in Bloomfield, which was a nice mix of blue-collar folks/young professionals, bit of an artsy scene, etc. It seems like Mt. Vernon/Charles Village is closer to what I'm looking for. I do like Canton/Fells Pt. in the small amount of time I've spent there.

I live in Mt. Vernon, am 32, not single, but like to go out... And I love it. Yes there are a lot of gay bars but I wouldn't call it West Hollywood - it's not that gay. Lots of other bars, restaurants, etc. that cater to everyone. From the two people asking - - I would recommend Fed Hill for yoyo567 and Mt. Vernon for BiggyV. BiggyV - - do you have a bike?? Biking to work would be perfect for your short commute - way quicker than bus and you can bike up Charles and then east... Bus would be totally doable too - plenty of northbound routes take you straight up Charles, Calvert, straight down St. Paul.

I don't have a bike, but I could certainly get one, of course. That's an option I hadn't thought of. Thanks.

Hung out with some friends this weekend who live in Charles Village... around 30 years old. They said they love it, but the Bar Scene is pretty non-existent there. They said they typically go to Mt. Vernon, Hampden or Fed Hill, Fells/Canton if they want to go out. They said all are a pretty cheap cab ride though.

I live in Bolton Hill now and quite enjoy it. It is extremely quiet, has beautiful architecture, and has very educated and eclectic residents (mostly professionals and art students from MICA). Mt. Vernon has less of a neighborhood feel but is much more lively at night and has a wide assortment of bars and restaurants. I agree with a previous poster that Mt. Vernon definitely has a more artsy/gay vibe. However, Charles Village and Hampden strike me as much more artsy/hipster, though maybe not as gay-centric. Unlike some other East Coast cities, Baltimore's downtown is devoid of character and really anything interesting to do (other than the inner-harbor).

There are some areas that are beginning to gentrify in Baltimore. Hollins Market is close to University of Maryland, has some nice rehabs, has a great market during the week, and has a nice authentic feel to it (along with the attendant drug addicts and thieves). Definitely more of a place for the urban pioneer/more adventurous types. Reservoir Hill has also become a pretty nice place to live. It is located directly North of Bolton Hill and has a beautiful home stock and great views of Druid Hill Park and the Zoo. According to a cop I know, almost all violent crime has been eliminated from the neighborhood and most crime now is of the car break-in variety.

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